Not applicable to this application.
Not applicable to this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to elongate material dispensers and more specifically it relates to a material dispensing system for allowing convenient unloading, loading and dispensing of a spool of elongate material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Elongate material dispensers have been in use for years. Conventional elongate materially dispensers are formed for receiving and dispensing a spool of material such as barricade tape, flagging tape, string, rope, wire and other elongate materials. The BEN MEADOWS COMPANY manufactures a barricade tape dispenser that is comprised of a complex structure which is difficult to load and unload a spool of material. There are other products on the market that receive and dispense elongate material upon a spool, but they are relatively difficult to load and unload.
Examples of patented devices which are related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 2,171,648 to Ennis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 1,825,822 to Rundell; U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,389 to Ness; U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,115 to Samuelson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,605 to Lee; U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,339 to Moody et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,208 to Hoffman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,058 to Schwarz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,485 to Bundschuh; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,423 to Bahnsen.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for allowing convenient replacement of a spool of elongate material. Conventional material dispensing devices are difficult to load and unload with a spool of material.
In these respects, the material dispensing system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing convenient replacement of a spool of elongate material.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of material dispensers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new material dispensing system construction wherein the same can be utilized for allowing convenient replacement of a spool of elongate material.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new material dispensing system that has many of the advantages of the material dispensers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new material dispensing system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art material dispensers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a tubular main body formed for receiving a spool of material, a handle attached to the tubular main body, and a set of retaining prongs positioned within the main body for selectively retaining the spool of material upon the main body. The retaining prongs are comprised of a resilient material for allowing the distal portions thereof to be forcibly contracted thereby allowing the spool of material to be unloaded and a replacement spool to be loaded. The retaining prongs have a flanged portion that extend outwardly and have a total width greater than an inner diameter of the spool of material.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a material dispensing system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide a material dispensing system for allowing efficient replacement of a spool of elongate material.
Another object is to provide a material dispensing system that is easy to load and unload a spool of material.
An additional object is to provide a material dispensing system that may be utilized with spools of material such as but not limited to barricade tape, flagging tape, string, rope, wire and other elongate materials.
A further object is to provide a material dispensing system that is ergonomic thereby reducing stress upon the user""s fingers and wrist during usage.
Another object is to provide a material dispensing system that allows a user to easily sever a desired length of the elongate material.
A further object is to provide a material dispensing system that may be removably attached to the user.
Another object is to provide a material dispensing system that may be attached to a wall, floor or similar structure for dispensing the spool of material.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.